I Fall in Love Whenever We Meet
by McEvoyer
Summary: Pre-3x01 (spoiler-ish). Felicity buys Oliver a houseplant and the gift has an interesting impact on him.


**Hey there! So after reading all the spoilers, I just had to write something about _the houseplant. _I mean...she bought him a houseplant! How can something so trivial cause such a reaction? It's all so incredibly domestic and wonderful and I just need it to be Wednesday, okay? Haha anywho, I just wrote this really quickly and I hope you guys like what you read! :)**

**Alas, I do not own Arrow.**

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><p>"You bought me a…houseplant?" Oliver asked, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion as he lifted the gift up and down in assessment.<p>

"Don't give me that look," the blonde declared immediately.

He was giving her a look?

"Wha-"

"I told you I had a surprise for you so you don't get to…" her hand waved around the air in front of him, as if the action alone would grasp the words for her, "you know, do that whole turn into stone thing you're so good at. I know you hate getting presents but I think you should make an exception this time."

Looking at the plant again he finally allowed himself a smile. "It's not that, Felicity," he mused. "It's just…when you told me to close my eyes because you had a surprise for me I wasn't expecting…a houseplant, that's all."

In fact, a houseplant was pretty much the last thing on his mind.

And when exactly did his mind get so…imaginative?

She straightened at his admission, head lolling to the side as she studied him. Vivid blue depths scanned him from head to toe. "Really? What _were _you expecting then?"

Oliver swallowed hard. "You know what? Never mind," he said as lightly as possible, hoping that she couldn't hear the pounding of his heart. "I love it. I do."

"No you don't."

"No, I – I do. I do," he assured quickly. "But I don't have a house to put it in."

The woman he loved smiled gently, stepping a little closer to him. She was so close that he would barely have to reach out to pull her to him. Yet, he rooted himself to the spot, reining in any loose emotional spurts that clawed through him. "I realize that but since you've been so _insistent_ on staying in the foundry, I figured it was time that you at least make it look a little less lair-ish. I mean, I love it down here but it doesn't exactly give off a homely vibe."

"Did you just say 'vibe'?"

"Seriously? _That's _what you decide to focus on?"

He chuckled. "Sorry."

"_Anyway _when you do finally get a place of your own, this can come with you and I can say that_ I_ was the first person to get you a housewarming gift. Plus, it'll be like having a constant reminder of me around-" she slammed her eyes shut and brought her clenched fists up to her chest, "- wait, no not that you want or need a reminder of me, that's not what I meant. I meant that, you know, you'll remember that I, uh, I…"

"Felicity," he cut in smoothly, his hand already on her shoulder, thumb padding across her exposed skin, "thank you."

Truth be told, he quite liked the idea of having a constant reminder of her around…

Her answering smile caused his heart to skip a beat. "You're welcome. Oh and don't worry, it doesn't need sunlight. I had to do a _lot _of research to find the right foundry-friendly plant. But you will need to water it every day and maybe just keep it by a lamp or something. Just in case."

"Got it," he replied, amused by her ever-changing facial expressions. He'd gladly spend an eternity learning every line and curve of her face.

God, he wished he could just tell her how he felt.

The way Felicity Smoak made him feel was like nothing he had ever felt before; it was like soaring above cities, defying all the laws of gravity, swooping and gliding through the clouds. She made him feel free. Free from the weight of the past. Free from the burdens that rested atop his shoulders. Free from his name and everything that came with it. Free from the guilt and shame and horror that marred his days.

She made him _feel_.

And something so trivial as a houseplant seemingly stirred all these feelings in him.

He had to say something.

He had to do something.

She needed to know how much she was loved, how much she was wanted.

But before he could throw caution to the wind and tell her everything he had ever wanted to tell her, she cleared her throat. "Well I gotta go," she said distractedly as if she herself was pulling back into reality. "I have a job interview. Can't be late."

"Right, yeah." His hand dropped from its place on her shoulder and the loss of contact struck him instantly. "You'll do great. You always do."

Felicity's eyes sparkled. "Thanks, Oliver."

Then, with a parting smile, she was on her way.

Needless to say, from that day on, Oliver made damn sure that that plant stayed alive. He didn't care about the looks Roy and Diggle gave him every time he rushed to water it or the comments they passed whenever he had to change the angle of the lamp so that each section of the plant would receive the right amount of light. There was no way he was letting it die.

And even a year later when he and Felicity _finally_ realized they were better together than apart and moved into their new house, the plant was the first thing to be put in place.

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><p><strong>So what did you guys think? Please drop me a review and let me know what you thought -I love to know what you likeddidn't like! Hope you enjoyed it! :) **


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